The Sun. — London, England, 1838-02-12 00:00:00

N ORT H-MIDLAND RAILWAY COMPANY. The half-yearly General Meeting of the Directors and p ro prietors of the North Midland Railway Company took place on Fr ida y last, at the Cit y of London Tavern, - Bi s h o psgate-street, for the purpose of receiving the Report o f the Directors, and for the election of Six Directors in the room of those who went out by rotation. Th e meeting was attended by all the Directors, a larg e n umber of Shareholders, and by the Engineer, Solicitor, and other officers of the Company. Shortly after one o'clock the Chair was taken by GEORGE CARR. GLvlsr, Esq., Chairman of the Board of Directors. The CHAtastAN said, the present meeting had been con vened in pursuance of the Act of Parliament, which re quired that meetings should be held half-yearly—one in t h e month of February, and the other in the month of August. He should now call upon the Secretary to read the advertisement which had been inserted in the papers for that purpose. The SEcaETAav having read the notice, then proceeded to read over the minutes of the proceedings of the last half yearly meeting , whic h had been held in the large room of the' c om mercial Buildings, Leeds, when the common seal of the Company bad been affixed to the Register of Pro- Report of the Directors read and received, prietors, the a nd the sale of 2.36 forfeited shares authoriz e d. The proceedings of the last meeting having been con firmed, The CIIAIItHAN observed that it would not be necessary to detain them many minutes before proceeding to take into consideration the report which the Directors had pre pared upon the present occasion. The Directors had pro ceeded in the usual manner, which was that of not conceal ing or withholding from the body of Proprietors any thing which might be interesting or important to them, or which they had it in their power to communicate.—(Hear, hear.) S o long as the present Directors had the honour of re presenting them, not an iota of information, whether good or bad—whether against the calculations they bad origi nally made, or in their favour, would ever be withheld. They had always acted and would continue to act upon the principle, that they were merele the stewards of the great body of the Shareholders, and every thing that oc curred should be made known to them at the periodical meet ings held for that purpose. That led him to remark, that t h e Directors had felt it their duty, in the Report which wa s about to be submitted to them, to state that they were likely to exceed the estimates originally made. There was Do doubt that, in the course of a few months from the pre sent period, a satisfactory . explanation would be afforded of t h e different heads under which that increase took place, and it would be perhaps premature to anticipate that ex planation. He would remark, however, that it was the custom with most Companies, after the Act of Incorpora tion had received the Royal Assent, to prepare what were c alled revised estimates—in fact, throwing overboard the Parliamentary estimates, or, in other words, adding what ever increase in the expenditure the engineer might think likely to occur. He would not now stop to, discuss the ques tion of whether such a course was or was not advisable, but he would remark that the Directors of the North Mid land Ra il wa y Company had not pursued that course—they were r ather inclined to wait the:result of the actual letting of the contracts than leave thu matter to the speculation o f the engineer. He had now to apprise the meet ing, that, estimating from the works in progress, and the contracts that had been let, there would be a de cided increase in the amount required. That increase los not speculative, but it was one which had been actu ally ascertained.—(Hear.) He should be most happy, after the Report had been read, to render every information, so far as it might be deemed advisable or prudent at the present moment, concerning the works in nrogress , or any other matter.—(H ear .) Th ere was only one other point in connection with the Report, upon which be would trouble them with any observations ; and he pl ight add, that he only called their attention to those points which, by some proprieto rs , m i g ht b e d eeme d disad vantageous to the Company. He would leave the sweets to spea k for themselves. Some of the proprietors present, w ho had not attended the meeting at Leeds, were not per il li p, aware of the nature of the opposition the Company ha d met with from the Aire and Calder Navigation Com pany, although all must know thtt they are one of the most i n fluential and poWnrful Companies in the kingdom, and that they had for many years past exercised a great mo nopoly in the water conveyance of goods and merchandise o ver great part of Yorkshire. Like other powerful Com panies, they were not willing to allow anything like rivalry to approach them ; and accordingly, the opposition the North Midland Company had received from them during the progress of the Act through Parliament was most un ceasing and inveterate. He did not blame them for that o pposition, which was natural. In the House of Commons be would say that the North Midland Company had met with fair p l a y, but the opposition the Bill met with in the Committee o f the House of Lords was very great. The Aire and Calder Navigation Company was connected with many of the first f a milies in the North of England, and their influence among ff the Peere was very powerful. They did not indeed suc ced in disproving the case of the North Midland Company, for e it was founded upon truth and fact ; but they had con trived to hamper them by the introduction of certain clauses which had been found injurious to the well working of the concern. It became the duty of the Company, therefore, as soon as the Bill had received the Royal assent, to endea vour to come to some arrangement with the Aire and Calder Company, and a proposition was made to them on terms which, after a great deal of deliberation, the Directors of the North Midland Company thought exceedingly liberal. lie was afraid however he must be compelled to say that the proposition was not met in a similar spirit. When he wa s a school boy he thought it extremely unfair to be compelled to pay for the rods with which he was to be whipped, and the Aire and Calder Company appeared de sirous of acting upon the schoolmaster's principle, by re quiring that the whole of the Parliamentary expenses in curred by them in their opposition to the North Midland Railway Bill should be paid by the latter Company. The Directors had refused to comply with that demand, and the ne gotiation therefore remained in abeyance.—( Hear.) Under these circumstances the Directors of the North Midland Company had thought it their duty to turn their attention to such a plan as might free the Company, in a great degree, from the annoyance to which they were likely to be subjected by the Aire and Calder navigation. The consequence was, that in the present Report they had a lluded to the probability of applying to Parliament for a Deviation Line in the part adjoining the town of Leeds. He could not of course speak definitely upon that point, because their decision depended in a great m easure upon the conduct which the Aire and Calder Company might pursue towards them.—(Hear.) All he wished at present to call the attention of the pro prietors to was, that if they found the Aire and Calder c o mpany determined to persevere in their hostility, they were prepared to go to Parliament and ask for another line ; by which every purpose of the Company would be answered in an engineering point of view, and which could be executed at a cost rather under than over that originally selected.— (Hear, hear.) With these few remarks he would now beg o f the Secretary to read the Report ; and when that had been done, if any gentleman present wished to put a ques tion to. himself, or any of the Directors, they should be happy to, give the most satisfactory answer in their power. The Si:cal:my then read the Report, as follows : REPORT TO THE PROPRIETORS. It is the wish, as it is the duty, of the Directors, in now meeting their Proprietors for the third time, to lay before them the most explicit and clear statement of the progress of the undertaking. At the present moment, this must possess a peculiar and exclusive interest ; the proceedings which the Directors have now to describe, constituting the foundation upon which the success of the whole work must rest. It is, therefore, with satisfaction, that the Directors now declare their confidence in the result of these proceed ings, and trust that the statement now presented will meet with the concurrence, and be sanctioned by the approbation of the Proprietary. Tho Engineers having now finally set out the works for execution, the Directors are enabled to report that the f a vourable character of the gradients, which distinguished the Parliamentary line, has been preserved, whilst in point o f curves a material improvement has been effected, though it has added in some degree to the cost of the works. Since the last meeting, at which it was reported that five contracts had been let, comprising 14 miles of the line, the Directors have entered into 17 other contracts, which, to gether, complete the letting of 58:1 miles of the whole line o f 72 miles, leaving only 131 miles to finish the distance. The expectations which the Directors expressed in their last report, that a favourable competition would take place, h av e been fulfilled ; and these contracts have been made u pon satisfactory terms ; upon the whole, within the estimate delivered by the Engineers at the time of receiving the tenders. It is right, however, here to state, that these contracts have been let considerably above the Parliamen tary estimate, which arises in part from the scale of prices being higher than the Engineers had then reason to con template ; and from the increased quantity of work which, upon a more careful revision of the line, has been found un avoidable. It may, however, be confidently stated, that most of the contracts have been made on such a scale as to insure the Company against being subjected to any considerable in crease for the amount of extra work. Attention has been particularly directed, in working these contracts, to insure such a combined and regular re turn from the contractors, as well as the Resident and Assistant Engineers, that the Directors will be enabled to exercise the strictest superintendence over the works, and to obtain the most authentic information of their comparative progress—comparative as regards the -- completion of the whole ; and they will thus be enabled to detect immediately any delay which may occur, and form a just estimate of the THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1838. probable period when the whole may be c omp l e t e d. U pon this point it might have been satisfactory to the proprietors to have heard en opinion expressed a t th e present moment, but it would hardly be fair to form a decisive one until the works on the whole line can be said to be in active ope ration ; this will be the case before the next meeting. From the evidence before them at the present moment, the Directors arc satisfied, that, generally, the contractors are proceeding with activity, judgment, and skill ; and as they repose the strongest con fid ence in the ability and energy of their engineers, and that they will push forward the works with the utmost ',vigour, the Directors have deemed it right to enter into contracts for locomotive en gines, to be delivered at the end of the year 1839, the pe riod at which the contracts are stipulated to be finished, being the beginning of 1840. The greater portion of the land required for the Southern part of the line has ben purchased, upon terms nat exceed ing the estimate of the land valuer ; and no case has yet occurred wher e it h as b een necessary to refer to a Jury. The agreements on the Northern Division are likewise proceeding in the same satisfactory manner ; and the Direc tors have every reason to hope that the purchase of the re. mainder of the land required will be made upon reasonable terms. In the last report to the Proprietors, allusion was made to the difficulties which had arisen in the arrangements ne cessary to protect the interests of the Company on that part of the Line adjacent to the Aire and Calder navigation. Under all the circumstances of the case, it has been deemed advisable to give directions for publishing the Parliamen tary Notices for a deviation, the execution of which devia tion, it is calculated, would be considerably within the esti mate of the cost of that part of the Line previously sanc tioned by Parliament, and which also, in an engineering point of view, would be equally advantageous to the general interests of the Company. The Proprietors will recollect, that at the last meeting the Directors were empowered to forfeit 236 shares upon which the second call had not been paid, and they have now the satisfaction of informing the meeting that the holders have so generally come forward to claim the shares, that there will be no occasion for any further proceedings. By the statement of accounts,.now to be laid before the Proprietary, it will appear that the receipts up to the 31st of December last were 337,002/. Bs. 4d. The disburse ments, 209,5041. 7s. Bd. And that the balance, at the disposal of the Company at that date, was 127,4981. Os. Bd. By the 117th Section of the Act, it is provided that one fourth of the Directors, who were chosen at the general meeting of the 23d September; 1836, shall go out of office at the meeting now held, and six Directors be elected to supply the vacancy. The Proprietors, in exercising such power of election, will advert to the provisions of the Act by which every Director so going out is declared to be im mediately re-eligible. The following are the Directors who now go out of office : G. C. Glyn, Esq. .1. Holdforth, Esq. R. Fenwick, Esq. T. Shann, Esq. K. Hodgson, Esq. And C. Tee, Esq. It was then moved, and agreed to unanimously, that the common seal of the Company be affixed to the list of Pro prietors, then on the table. The SECRETARY then read the general Account of Re ceipts and Disbursements as follows : GENERAL ACCOUNT Of the RECEIPTS and DISBURSEMENTS of the NORTH MIDLAND RAILWAY COMPANY tO the 30th December, 1837. n3.3.i .3 .3.-3 Hft3 ';i 00,,,, z 0 n 00 oo n o e.. , VP , i ' PinTe c trUnP4l ,- ...,:-;=xs-'2-Cmli4e-3.-mg 6 .`. '' c PD sri ~ E .. * r-c -.9. ( "%C. ai.' , 2 - 3 :-, l '2 ;: e - F - nll- I ;E! 9 :l.2.,*Eifiz t -r,,,, - -v. , -. - - --- -..-nv, . ,75. .V,gr07,2 !'[.? ,n s :oFim ' , 0., --. m= '' -" n , z.. 0,.., .. „, .. 0 -, ....,, ..., r 2 ~ i , ® . vRm5 Erswv_F: t... 5. 400 - ,gm E , g; gg,....r... an eT7.,T.=- !: • s -, a - ,..g. - sl ,r- !!'..cg" :4. 1 1 . , ,=p ph.Eck2, cp:7; i.s §... m ...,.. g, 45 y L.L ;.' - ."7., , " P .:04 gs , ;; l ''-5 . . 49 ' 1 ;4 :;' =..-.: 2 '.4m1,1 K:= .=tt 21: ~..,..e. m ;..„.., gx _ 1 ; , ,i ' , 2: !,,F . .“, g 2 ml 4 0 Z,5 '''Fi-m Fi 4; Es , .'.3a 4i-;4 n . 2. ,, t'ri q 2 ~ ,F -1.3 c, . n : '. 77 . i ''''' 5..; 0 o xR = mp w C 'i ---- .' 1, 3 = '2. .r. a CA; . g 7 si ~ , • •., • n- , tn 7ttga P 2- 2 ; • , F mz, ntz.r elb• ;"?. ',2V3 WO, 0 1 7t i. NP. C:1 7A 0 50 := C o o a :73. :, z i I Neg in ort n i e r,.1 and netor:ous f ac t o f th e ex p er i men t o f total eniancipe t n had g w os ucce g eded c ' - ‘ ii h fu e l r ij e ' v a e n r d it p l r ' o n fi s ta b b e l e y n w t, l 'i e e r d e , h a e n a n :seen contin ue d an apprentice? In presenting t hi s pet i t i on From Yorkshire, and these thirteen others from variou parts of the country, I have the honour of' giving notice that as soon us the i u fortunate and ressin; uestion Canada 11n • a hav e been disposed of by the passing or do ejection of the Bill expected from the Commons, that is. in about a week or ten days, I shall submit a motion t( your Lordships with the view of enabling you to c omply with the earnest prayer of your countrymen, by fixing, thi period of completee • the Ist of . August it emancipation, on this year, instead of But, my, Lords, while I thus express my end% e concu•- rence in the sentiments of these petitions and of the various presented upon this others whi c h I havesubject, I cannot conceal from di myself that there is a very material rerence between the - subject of their complaint and the complaint which 1 made at our last meeting re. specting the continuance not of slavery hot the Oa) e trede which I cannot delay for a single hour - bringing before Par liament. The • that grievance set forth in the p e titions is, the Emancipation Act, according to some, did not go fat enough and fast enough to • e. purpose—that while sown' hold it to have stopped short, 't ' s wiping out the foul stain in not at once and our expectations having been n olslavery, others complain . of th( frustrated in the orkag of • measure by the planters and the local authorities—that enough lace not been - done, ofnor with sufficient celerity to re lieve the unhappyhis burthen—nevertheless all admit that whatever slaveas been effected has been done in the right direction. The objections made are upon the de ores, not upon the nature of the proceedings. It is that too little relief has been • given to the slave—that too late n d a y, has been ass i gne d f or hi s final liberation—that he stilt ut•fers more than he ought : it is not that we have mad( slavery more universal, more burthensome, or more bitter. But what would have been said by the English people—in what accents would they have appealed t o this House—if instead of finding that the goal we aimed at was not reached —that the chains we had hoped to see loosened still galled the limbs—that the burthen we had desired to lighten still pressed the slave to the earth—it had been found that the curse and the crime of human bondage had extended to re gions which it never before had blighted—that the burthen was become heavier and more unbearable—that the fetters galled the victim's limbs more cruelly than ever : what, I ask, would then have been the language of your petitioners ? What the sens ation spread through th e coun try? What the cry of rage, echoing from - every corner of its extent, to charge us with mingled hypocrisy and cruelty, should we allow an hour to pass without rooting out th e monstrous evil ? I will venture to assert that there would have burst universally from the whole people an indignant outcry, to sweep away in a moment every vestige of slavery, under whatever name it might lurk, and what ever disguise it might assume ; and the negro at once would have been a free man. Now, thisis the very charge which I am here to make, and prepared to support with proof, a gainst the course pursued with a vi ew t o ext i ngu i s h e the Slave Trade. That accursed traffic, long since con demned by the unanimous voice of all the rational world, flourishes under the very expedients adopted to crush it ; and increases in consequence of those very measures resort ed to for its extinction. Yes, my Lords, it is my painful duty to show what, without suffering severely, it is not pos sible to contemplate, far less to recite, but what I cannot lay my bead once more on my pillow without denouncing, that at this hour, from the very nature of the means used to extirpate it, this infernal traffic becomes armed with new horrors, and continues to tear out, year after year, the very bowels of the great African Continent—that scene of the greatest sufferings which have ev er scourge d h uman i ty — t h e worst of all the crimes ever perpetrated by man ! When the Act for abolishing the British Slave Trade passed in 18 07 , and when the Americans performed the same act of justice by abolishing their traffic in 1806, the earliest moment, it must to their honour be observed, that the Federal Constitution allowed this step to be taken ; and when, at a later period, treaties were made, with a view to extinguish the traffic carried on by France, Spain, and Portugal, the plan was in an evil hour adopted which up to the present time has been in operation. The right of search and seizure was confined to certain vessels in the ser vice of the State, and there was held out, as an inducement to quicken the activity of their officers and crews, a pro mise of head-money,—that is, of so much to be paid for each slave on board the captured ship, over and above the proceeds of its sale upon condemnation. The prize was to be brought in and proceeded against ; the slaves were to be liberated ; the ship, with her tackle and cargo, to be sold. and the price distributed ; but beside this, the sum of five pounds for each slave taken on board was to be distributed among the captors. It must be admitted that the inten t tlon was excellent ; It must further be allowed that at first sight the inducement held out seemed likely to work well, by exciting the zeal and rousing the courage of the crews against those desperate miscreants who defiled and dese crated the great highway of nations with their complicated occupati - on of piracy and murder. I grant it is far easier to judge after the event. Nevertheless, a little reflection m ight have sufficed to show that there was a lice essen tially inherent in the scheme, and that by allotting the chief part of the premium for the capture of slaves, and not of slave-ships„an inducement was held out, not to prevent the principal part of the crime, the shipping of the negroes, from being committed,but rather to suffer this, in order that the head-money might be gained when the vessel should be cap tured with that on board which we must still insult all lawful commerce by calling the cargo—that is, the wretched vic tims of avarice and cruelty, who had been torn from their country, and carried to the loathsome hold. The ten dency of this is quite undeniable ; and equally so is its complete inconsistency with the whole purpose in view, and indeed the grounds upon which the plan itself is formed ; for it assumes that the head-money will prove an induce ment to the cruisers, and quicken their activity ; it assumes, therefore, that they will act so as to obtain the premium : and yet the object in view is to prevent any slaves from being embarked, and consequently any thing being done which can entitle the cruiser to any head-money at all. The cruiser is told to put down the Slave Trade, and the reward held out is proportioned to the height which that trade is suffered to reach before it is put down. The plan assumes that he requires this stimulus to make him prevent the offence ; and the stimulus is applied only after the of fence has been in great part committed. The tendency, then, of this most preposterous arrangement cannot be ques tioned for a moment ; but now see how it really works. The slave vessel is fitted out and sails from her port, with all the accommodations that distinguish such criminal adventures, and with the accustomed equipment of chains and fetters, to torture and restrain the slaves—the invest ment of trinkets wherewith civilized men decoy savages to make war on one another, and to sell those nearest to them in blood—with the stock of muskets too, prepared by Christians for the trade, and sold at sixteen-pence a piece, but not made to fire above once or twice without bursting in the hand of the poor negro, whom they have tempted to plunder his neighbour or to sell his child. If taken on her way to the African Coast, she bears internal evidence, amply sufficient, to convict of her a slave-trading destination. I will not say that the cruisers having visited and inspected her, would suffer her to pass onward. I will not impute to gallant and honourable men a breach of duty, by asserting, that knowing a ship to have a guilty purpose, and aware that they had the power of proving this, they would volun tarily permit her to accomplish it. I will not even suggest th a t vessels are less closely watched on their route towards the coast than on their return from it. But 1 may at least affirm, without any fear of being contradicted, that the policy which holds out a reward, not to the cruiser who stops such a ship and interrupts her on her way to the scene of her crimes, but to the cruiser who seizes her on her way back when full of slaves, gives and pro fesses to give the cruiser an interest in letting her reach Africa, take in her cargo of slaves, and sail for America. Moreover, I may also affirm with perfect safety, that this policy is grounded upon the assump tion, that the cruiser will be influenced by the hope of the reward, in performing the service ; else of what earthly use can it be to offer it ? and consequently I am entitled to conclude, that the offering this reward, assumes that the cruiser cares for the reward, and will let the slaver pass on unless she is laden with slaves. If this does not always hap pen, it is very certainly no fault of the policy which is framed upon such a preposterous principle. But I am not about to argue that any such consequences actually take place. It may or it may not be so in the result ; but the tendency of the system is plain. The fact I stop not to examine. I have other facts to state about which no doubt exists at all. The statements of my excellent friend Mr. Laird, who, with his worthy coadjutor, Mr. Oldfield, have recently returned from Africa, are before the world, and there has been no attempt made to contradict them. Those gallant men are the survivors of an expedition full of hardships and perils, to which, among many others, the learned and amiable Dr. Briggs, of Liverpool, unhappily fell a sacrifice—an irre parable loss to humanity as well as science. It appears that the course pursued on the coast is this : The cruiser stationed there to prevent the Slave-trade, carefully avoids going near the harbour or the creep where the slavers aro lying. If she comes within sight, the slaver would not venture to put hiscargo onboard and sail. There fore she stands out, just so far as to command a view of the port from the masthead, but herself quite cut of sight. The slaver believes the coast is clear ; accomplishes his crime of shipping the cargo, and attempts to cross the At lantic. Now, whether he succeeds in gaining the opposite shores, or taken and condemned, let us see what the effect of the system is, first of all, in the vessel's construction and accommodation—that is, in the comforts, if such a word can be used in connection with the hull of a slave ship—or the torments, rather, prepared fur her unhappy inmates. Let us see how the unavoidable miseries of the middle passage re exasperated by the contraband nature of the adventure, ow the unavoidable mischief is needlessly aggravatel by -he very means taken to extirpate it. The great object ,eing to escape our cruisers, every other consideration is iacrificed to the swiftness of saifin f , in the construction of he slave ships. I am not sayin ,, that hum:mitv is saeri iced. I should of course be laugled to scorn by all who Ire implicated in the African tragic, MT , : 1 to use such a •vord in any connection with it. But all other consider.:tons , especting the vessel herself are sacrificed to swiltne:s, and he is built so narrow as to put her safety in peril, being :made just broad enough on the beam to keep thc sea. What s the result to the wretched slaves? Before the trade was aut down by us in 1807, they had the benefit of what was ,armed the Slave-carrying Act. During the '2O years that ye spont in examining the details of the quesiion—in ascer '-aining whether our crimes were so profitable as not to varrant us in leaving them off—in debating whether to':- 'Try, piracy, and murder should be prohibited by law, or receive protection and encouragement from the State— ,ve, at least, were considerate enough to regulate the ;rerpetration of them ; and while those curious and very 7reditable discussions were going on, Sir 'William Dolben's Bill gave the unhappy victims of our cruelty and iniquity the benefit of a certain space between decks, in which they 'night breathe the tainted air more freely, and a certain iupply of provisions and of water to sustain their wretched ^xistence. But now there is nothing of the kind : and the slave is in the same situation in which our first debates , Ound him above half a century ago, when the venerable Thomas Clarkson awakened the attention of the world to els sufferings. The scantiest portion which will support l'fe, is alone provided ; and the wretched Africans are compressed and stowed into every nook and cranny of the ship, as if they were dead goods concealed on board smug :,ding vessels. I may be thought to have said enough ; but I may not stop here. Far more remains to tell ; and I approach the darker part of the subject with a feeling of horror and diTust, which I cannot describe, and which three or four days' gazing at the picture has not been able o subdue. But Igo through the painful duty in the hope if inducing your Lordships at once to pronounce the doom f that system which fosters all that you are about to .ontemplate. Let me first remind you of the analogy which this head :noney system bears to what was nearer home called blood money. That it produces all the effects of the latter, I am certa►nly not prepared to affirm ; for the giving reward to informers on capital conviction had the effect of engen dering- conspiracies to prosecute innocent men, as well as to prevent the guilty from being stopped in their career, until their crimes had ripened into capital offences ; and I have ❑o conception that any attempts can be made to capture vessels not engaged in the trade—nor- indeed could the head-money, from the nature of the thing, be obtained by any such means. But in the other part of the case the two things are precisely parallel, have the self-same ten dency, and produce the same effects ; for they both appeal to the same feelings and motives, putting in motion the same springs of human action. Under the old bounty system no policeman had an interest in detecting and checking guilt until it reached a certain pitch of depravity; until the offences became capital, and their prosecutor could earn forty pounds, they were not worth attending to. The cant expression, but the significant one, is well known. "He (the criminal) is not yet weight enough— he does not wi igh his forty pounds"—was the saying of those who cruised for head-money at the Old Bailey. And thus lesser crimes were connived at by some—en couraged, nurtured, fostered in their growth by others— that they might obtain the maturity 'which the law had, in its justice and wisdom, said tlioy must reach before it should be worth any one's while to stop the course of guilt. Loft to itself, wickedness could scarcely fail to shoot up and ripen. As soon as he saw that time come, the policeman pounced upon his appointed prey, made his vic tim pay the penalty of the crime he had suffered, if isot encouraged him to commit, and himself obtained the re ward provided by the State for the patrons of capital felony. Such within the tropics is the tendency, and such are the effects of our head-money system. The slave-ship gains the African shores ; she there• remains unmolested by the land authoriti'•s, and unvisited by the sea ; the human cargo is prepared for her ; the ties that knit relatives together are forcibly severed ; all the resources of force and of fraud, of sordid avarice and of savage intemperance, are exhausted to fill the human market ; to prevent all this, nothing, or next to nothing, is attempted ; the penalty has not as yet attaelled ; the slaves arc not on board, and head-money is not due ; the vessel, to use the technical phrase, does not vet weigh enough ; let her ride at anchor till she reach her due standard of five pounds a slave, and then she will be pursued! Accordingly, the lading is completed ; the cruiser keeps out of sight ; and the pirate puts to sea. And now begin those horrors—those greater horrors—of which I am to speak—and which are the necessary consequences of the whole proceeding, cow,ideriog with what kind of miscreants our cru►sers have to deal. On being discovered, perceiving that the cruiser is giving chase, the slaver has to determine whether he will endea vour to regain the port, escaping for the moment, and wait ing for a more favourable opportunity, or will fare across the Atlantic, and so perfect his adventure and consummate Ins crime, reaching, the American shores with a part at least of his lading. How many unutterable horrors are embraced in the word that has slipt my tongue! A part of the lading ! Yes, yes. For no sooner does the miscreant find that the cruiser is gaining upon him, than he bethinks him of lightening his ship, and he chooses the heaviest of I,is goods, with the same regard for them as if they were all inanimate lumber. He casts overboard, men and women and children ! Does he first knock off their fetters ? No ! Why ? Because those irons by which they have been held together in couples, for safety—but not more to secure the pirate crew against revolt, than the cargo against suicide —to prevent the Africans from seeking in a watery grave an escape from their sufferings—those irons are not screwed together and padlocked, so as to be removed in case of dan ger from tempest or from fire—but they are rivetted—welded together by the blacksmith in his forge—never to be re moved norloosened,until, after thehorrors of the middle pas sage, the children of misery shall be landed to bondage in the civilized world—and become the subjects of Chris tian Kings ! The irons, too, serve the purpose of weights, and if time be allowed in the hurry of the flight, more weights are added, to the end that the wretches may be en tangled, to prevent their swimming. Why ? Because the Negro, with that Herculean strength which he is endowed withal, and those powers of living in the water which almost give him an amphibious nature, might survive to be taken up by the cruiser, and become a witness against the mur derer. The escape of the malefactor is thus provided, both by lightening the vessel which bears him away, and by de stroying the evidence of his crimes. Nor is this all. In stances have been recorded of other precautions used with the same purpcse. Water-casks have been filled with hu man beings, and one vessel threw twelve overboard thus laden. In another chase, two slave ships endeavoured, but in vain, to make their escape ; and my blood curdles when I recite, that in the attempt they flung into the sea five hundred human beings, of all ages and of either sex! These are things related not by enthusiasts of heated imagination —not by men who consult only the feelings of humanity, and are inspired to speak by the great horror and un.eitin guishable indignation that fills their breasts—but by officers on duty—men engaged professionally in the Queen's service. It is not a creation of fancy to add, as these have done to the hideous tale, that the ravenous animals of the deep are aware of their prey, when the slave-ship makes sail ; the • shark follows in her wake, and her course is literally to be tracked through the ocean by the blood of the murdered, with which her enormous crimes stain its waters. I have read worse than even this! But it will not be believed! I have examined the particulars of scenes yet more hideous, while transfixed with horror, and ashamed of the human form that I wore—scenes so dreadful aeait was not deemed fit to lay bare before the public eye ! scenes never surpassed in all that history has recorded of hum in guilt to stain her pages—in all that poets have conceived to harrow up the soul ! scenes compared with which the blood-stained annals of Spain—cruel and sordid Spain—hate registered only ordinary tales of avarice and suffering—though these have won for her an unentied pre-eminence of infamy ! scenes not exceeded in horror by the forms with which the great Tuscan poet peopled the hell of his fancy—nor by the dis mal tints of his illustrious countryman's pencil, breathing its horrors over the vaults of the Sistine Chapel! _alortua quilt etiam jungebat corpora vivis! On the deck and in the loathsome hold are to be seen the living chained to the dead, the putrid carcase remaining to mock the survivor, with a spectacle that, to him, presents no terrors—to mock him with the spectacle of a release which be envies ! Nay, women have been known to bring forth the miserable fruit of the womb surrounded by the dying and the dead—the decayed corpses of their fellow-victims. Am I asked how these enormities shall be prevented ? First ask me to what I ascribe them—and then my answer is ready—l charge them upon the system of head-money, which I have described, and of whose tendency no man can pretend to doubt. Reward men for preventing the shiver's voyage, not for interrupting—for saving the Afri cans from the slave ship, not for seizing the ship after it has received them—and then the inducement will be ap plied to the right place, and the motive will be suited to the act you desire to have performed. But I have hitherto been speaking of the intolerable aggravation which we saperadd to the traffic. les amount is another thing. Do all our efforts materially check it ? Arc our cruisers always successfal ? Are all flags and all the slavers under any flag subject to search at liable to capture ? I find that the bulk of this infernal traffic is still undiminished ; that though meny slave-ships may be seized, many more escape and reach the New World ; and that the numbers still carried thither are as great as ever. Of this sad truth the evidence is but too abundant and too conclusive. The premium of in suranee at the Havannah is this higher thanl74 l per d cer r . to cover all laz Of this 4: l j per cent. is B owe h o sea risk urderwriter's profits, leaving but , for t chance of capture. But leaving but 6,), for risk of capture. In the in Rio it as low us 11 pa 3s cen i ; i; slave-ships sailed from the ilavannali alcne : and I t ha..4 .. a list of the numbt rs which ss: of these brougL ,) hack, "-icin g an average of about 360 ; so that abote , L.,5,000 were hrought to that port in a year. In the monta of D ,:- ember of th a t y ear , b etween 4,000 an d 3,000 were safely landed i n th e port of Rio, th e c a pi ta l o f our goo d friend and ally, th e E mperor o f B raz i l. It is frightful to think of the numbers carried over by some of these ships. One transported 370, and another no less than 700 wretched beings. I give the names of these execrable vessels—the Fclicidad and the Soe,rro. Of all slave-traders, the greatest—of all the criminals engaged in these guilty crimes—the worst—are the Brazilians, the Spaniards, and the Portuguese—the three nations with whom our com merce is the closest, and over whom our influence is the most commanding. These are then itions with whom we (and 1 mean France as well as ourselves) go on in linger ing negotiation—in quibbling discussion —to obtain some explanation of some article in a feeble, inefficient treaty, or some extension of an ineffectual right of search—while their crimes lay all Africa waste, and deluge the s,‘as with the blood ofinr inhabitants. Yet if a Common and less guilty pirate dared pollute the sea, or wave his black flag ov2r its waves, let him be of what nation he pleased to libel by assuming its name, he would in an instant be made to pay the forfeit of his climes. It was not always so. We did not in all times nor in every cause so shrink from our duty through delicacy or through fear. When the thrones of ancient Europe were to be upheld, or their Royal occupants to be restored, or the threatened privileges of the aris tocracy wanted - champions, we could fully swiltly advance to the encounter, tl,row ourselves into the breach, and confront alone the giant arm of Republics and of' Em perors wielding the colossal power of France. But now, when the millions of Africa look up to us for help— when humanity and justice alone are our (lily clients-1 am far from saying that we do not wish them well. I can k , .lieve that a word _could give them success—if a wave of the hand sufficed to end time fray—the word would be pronounced, the gesture would not be withholden ; but if more be wanted—if some exertion is required—if sonic risk must be run in the cause cf mercy—then our tongue eleavis to the roof of our month ; our hand falls paralyzed; we pause and faulter, and blanch and quail before the ancient and consecrated Monarchy of Brazil, the awful (night of Portugal, the compvct, consolidated, overwhelm ing power of Spain! My Lords, I trust—l expect—we shall pause and falter, and blanch and quail no more ! Let it be the earliest, and it will be the most enduring glory of the new reign, to extirpate at length this execrable traffic ! would not surround our young Queen's throne with fortresses and troops, or establish it upon the triumphs of arms and the trophies of war —no, not I! I would build her renown neither upon military nor yet upon naval greatness ; but upon rights secured —upon liberties ex tended—humanity diffused—justice universally prornul gel In alliance with such virtues as these, I would have her name descend to after ages. I would have it commemorated for ever, that in the first year of her reign, her Throne was fortified and her Crown embellished, by the proudest triumph over the worst of crimes—the greatest triumph mortal ever won over the worst crime ever man committed: NOTE. Lord Minto defended the naval officers, but admitted that Lord Brougham had in no respect misstated, or at all exaggerated, the atrocities committed on the African coast. He denied that the head-money produced the effects alleged, though be could not deny its tendency. As for the foreign Slave Trade, he was sure it existed as much while Lord Brougham had been in office, acd yet more was not then done to put it down.. Lord Brougham would be content with this admission, and only ask, if it were true or not.that the cruisers went off the coast to let the slavcrs take in their cargo and come out ? As to what was said of the foreign Slave Trade, while he (Lord B.) was in ollice,—did the Noble Earl for get the changes that had since taken place? Had he fot gotten our connexion since with Portugal, and our new intervention in Spanish affairs ? Above all, did he forget that, during the last twelve or &ghteen months, the most satisfactory indication; had appeared of a greatly improved feeling on the part of the French Government upon this question ? Lord Minto did not deny the proceedings of the cruisers, but asserted that with ships of those nations, which had' not the equipment clause, such a course W3S necessary. Lord Brougha:n maintained that the blockade and pre vention of loading the slave ships was the thing required, but that would not earn the head-money. However, he came at once to the point, and asked, " Will you put an end to head-money, the tendency of it being admitted, and no good whatever accruing from it? Will you then substi tute payment by the ton?" Lord Minto said that the treasury sometimes did pay by the ton-when co slaves were captured. Lord Brougham replied that the Noble Earl sheaved a total misconception of his propo,ition, and of the whole argument, for it was not that tonnage-money would do good, but that bead-money did harm, and consequently what he required was to abolish the one, and not to give the olicr, which —except as a substitute—was wholly useless. Lord Ellenborough said it was clear that there could be no objection whatever to adopting Lord Brougham's pro position, sition if we really meant to put down the odious and criminal traffic ; and dwelt with much force upon this point. Lord Glenelg admitted that Lord Brougham's state ment,, however painful and appalling, were any thing ra ther than exaggerated. He promised that the subject should engage the Government's serious attention, as it had already done, and added that Lord Palmerston's attention had been directed towards it. Lord Ashburton ably supported the proposition for al•o -lishing head-money ; and maintained that it was quite la mentable to rcfl_.ct how little, after all our efforts, hunil nity had profitad by our proceedings. In consequence of their stopping short of the right marl:, and being often ill directed, it might be truly s..il that the negroes were worse off than before we interfered in their behalf. As for Spain, and especially Portugal, no one could, without feel ing indignation, contemplate the conduct which her traders were still suffered to pursue, considering our paramount influence in the Portuguese affairs. Ile was always peculiarly averse to any foreign intervention where the case did not clearly justify it ; but when he reflected in what cases we had exerted our influence, in Portugal particularly, he must say he considered it discreditable that in such a case as the present, we should so long and so invariably have been defeated. The different papers moved for were granted. GRAND DINNER TO HER '.MAJESTI'S ATI IcV • TF:ItS AT TIIL MANSION HOUSE.—On Saturday the Lord Mayor gave a splendid entertainment to her Majesty's Ministers. • There were present the Lord Chancellor, the Marquis of Lansdowne, the Duke of Argyle, Lord Melbourne, Lord Palmerston, Lord Morpeth, Lord Glenelg„ the Bishop of London, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir Henry Par nell, Sir R. Hussey Vivian, the Attorney and Solicitor -Gene rals, &c., a great number of the Aldermen, the Sheriffs, &c. The health of the Queen, the Queen Dowager, and the other loyal toasts were drunk %% ith the usual honours; then followed the " Lord Chancellor," " Lord Melbourne and her Majesty's Ministers," " the Bishop of London," &c. Henry Seaton, Esq., of the Chancery Bar, has been appointed to the Judgeship in the Supreme Court at Calcutta, vacant by the death of Sir Benjamin Malkin. LIVERPOOL SHARE MARKET, SATURDAY.-- A moderate portion of business was effected at this morning's market. Our last quotations remain unaltered, and generally speaking the rates may be considered very firm, with a ten dency to improve. At the conclusion of the day there were sellers of the following at the figures below : Railways— Bristol and Exeter, .5k ; Chester and Crewe, 3i ; Great Wes:ern, 17 ; North Midland, 264 ; North and Eastern, 4; Midland Counties, 17+ ; Grand Junction, 222 ; E aste r n Counties, 355. ; South-Eastern Dover, Gk. Banks—Bo rough Bank, Liverpool, 1; North and South Wales, 9-; Royal Bank, Liver' 001, 635 . . Ocean Assurance Company, 7- 1 • Exchange-buildings, 1.59. z__ - We understand that a committee of merchants and bankers of great eminence arc engaged in inquiries tending to show the immense a !vantage to commerce which would flow from the reduction of postage to one uniform charge of one penny for every half an ounce, whether consisting of one or more sheets of paper. Correspondence begets business. ' Business of every kind leads to the consumption of exciseable articles—to the payment of the duties of excise, of customs, and stamps, and there seems no reason to fear that the revenue from toe post-office will diminish, and there is a certainty that it will be largely increased in every article upon which excise duties or customs and stamps are paid. When the unequal pressure of this tax is considered in restraining the correspon dence of the middle and labouring classes, the communications of advice and affection b.tween parents arid chi:dren, and the interchange of kindness and sympathy amongst the various members of the same family and its connections, indeed be tween all who , ie pecuniary means are limited, the matter becomes one of the highest moral and national importance._ Morning Paper. Saturday afternoon as a clerk belonging to an eminent banking-house, in Lombard -street, was going to Charing,-cross, in hi:, way he dropped his pocket-book, con taining drafts and bills to the amount of 3 0001. and upwards. It was picked up by a newsvender's boy, who on finding the address of the banking firm within the cover, lost no time in conveying it to the house, the principal of which, cn being inforrned of the honesty of the boy, oktained the address of his father, who is in very indigent circumstances, and generously presented him with ten sovereigns, and promised to forward the interest of the lad in every way that lay in his power. On Wednesday the post-office clerks commenced travelling on the B:rmingham railroad, and sorted the letters during the journey, so as to have them ready for delivery on their arrival.—Derby Mercury. Imo C. 3 0 0 5 11:7,5 102 =I mc.Goe IsZT. GI c. 0.-0 .C:4 it :CID Mr. HENRY BRUCE, a Proprietor, observed that there appeared to be a balance in hand on the 31st of Decem ber of 127,000/. He observed further, that a call had been lately made of 10/. a•share. He begged to ask whether the Company were receiving interest for that balance—what that amount of interest was, and how the money was invested ? . _ The CHAIRMAN—The total amount of interest received by the Company up to the 31st of December was 3,532/. 9s. 9d., and the interest varied from two-and-a half to three per cent. Mr. BRUCE—Am I to understand that the Company is receiving two-and-a-half per cent. on 127,000/. The CHAIRMAN—Minus the balance in the hands of the bankers. Mr. BRUCE—What is the amount at present at the disposal of the Company ? The CHAIRNIAN.—Between 70,000/. and 80,000/. Mr. BRUCE—Then with this large balance, may I be permitted to ask what has led to the call of 101. per share ? The CHAIRMAN—The rapidity of the works now in progress ; and it will take some time before the calls come in, as they were scattered over a space of three months. Mr. BRUCE—SO far as I can learn from that Report, a sum of 44,0001. has been paid for works, and about 100,000/. for land : may I ask how much of the land actually required has been paid for with that sum ? The CHAIRMAN—FuIIy one-half. Mr. BRUCE—And do you expect to pay as much for contracts for works and for land as will require the 80,0001. in hand and a call of 101. per share ? The CHAIRMAN—Most decidedly ; and I ought to add, that the Proprietors should be apprized that this is the year in which the amount of calls will be the highest. Mr. BRUCE—I don't object to the call by any means-1 should be glad if they were made twice as fast. The CHAIRMAN—In the spirit of your remark I may add, that the Directors are endeavouring to hasten the works, so far as is consistent with their due execution. On the other hand, the Act of Parliament limits us to a cer tain interval between the calls, and thus obliges us, if I may use the expression, to look more ahead than we otherwise should. Mr BRUCII—The reason I alluded to the call is, that the amount expended appears so small, up to the time the report was prepared. _ The ellAlltMAN—That is only to the 31st December ; but the amount of works contracted for since, has been very heavy, and tiaere is a very large weekly expenditure now going on. Mr. A. GOLDS3IID, a Proprietor—ln order that the ques tion he was about to propose might be answered in a proper manner, he should move that the Report now read should be received and adopted. Of course that Report con tained an accurate account of the proceedings of the con cern since the last meeting, and he only thought it neces sary to offer a few observations upon what had fallen from the Chairman. It was extremely satisfactory to the Corn pany to know, that all matters relative to it were commu nicated to them without reserve. Publicity was of the greatest importance to their welfare, and it was the best test that the Directors were discharging their duty for the benefit of the Company. He was extremely sorry to learn that the expense exceeded the estimate. An apology or explanation had been made ; but still he must regret, in common with the other proprietors, that the expense, instead of falling short,would exceed the estimate. That had probably arisen in the present case from unavoidable accidents, which could not have been foreseen. It would, however, be ex tremely satisfactory, in the first instance, to learn to what extent it was likely to occur in the present Company. It would be a great satisfaction to the minds of the proprietors if they were made acquainted with the amount by which the expenditure would exceed the estimates, so far as a judg ment could be formed on the subject. In putting that question, however, he felt no hesitation in moving that the report be received and adopted ; and he hoped befbre the proceedings had terminated the Chairman would give the meeting some information on the subject. The motion having been seconded by Mr. HENDERSON, Mr. PARSONS wished to call the attention of the meeting to one part of the Report. He was extremely anxious that a statement should be made of the actual quantity of earth-work on the line. He hOped that would he' shown on some drawing or section, to which all the pro prietors might have access. The CHAIRMAN nid, that if he understood the wish of the Hon. Proprietor, he was dei4ircns that a section or drawing of the work should be deposited in some place to which the proprietors could have access ; and that a sec tion of the quantity of earth-we:1: should be given, in order to show how the actual quantity done ktpt up with the figures put down by the engineer. There could he no diffi culty whatever in acceding to that request of the Hon. Pro prietor, indeed it was actually in progress at • the present time ; and he might also add, in answer to the Honourable Proprietor's question, that the information might be ob tained at the offices of the Company, in George-street , Mansion-house. With respect to the question put by the Honourable Proprietor who had proposed the' Re' lution, he wished to answer it as far as he could. He had been kind enough to put the question in a way that considerably relieved him from the difficulty in which he was placed in answering it, as he had made it general instead of entering into detail. The excess in round numbers might be estimated at 20 or 25 per cent. If his Hon. Friend would compare that excess with that which had taken place in other Companies, he would see that it was comparatively light , as compared with other instances. If any person reflected upon the manner in which the Parliamentary estimates were got up, and considered the difficulty of stating clearly on what species of soil the slopes and cuttings were to be made until the works were in progress, they would dis cover that it was almost impossible for any eng ineer to make clearly and accurately a calculation upon the su b j ect. One of the principal excesses is in the quantity of earth work, which has been unavoidable, in consequence of a v ariety of causes which were particularly alluded to in the re p ort, from the improvement in the curves. There was ,- l ikewise, one other heavy item which had been rendered nece ssary in passing through the Belper Valley, which had not been contemplated, arising from a tunnel which was obliged to be made in consequence of the opposition of certain parties. Then there was a general observation, covering the whole, which was,that since the original estimate, there had been a considerable rise in the price of everything ; and, from the number of railroads that were now going on, the contractors had taken advantage of that circumstance, and have increased their prices to the Company, although they had, by subdividing the contracts, done all in their power to introduce a second class of men, in order to in duce competition. He believed, however (and they had been assured front a most competent authority), that such would be the fact, and he hoped the proprietors would be of the same opinion, that there was no great chance in this undertaking of having any of those heavy charges for extra work, which was the great feature in other works ; he trusted, therefore, under these circumstances, that a liberal allowance would be made, in order to cover the whole expense. The proprietary must also remember that when they talked of increasedexpenditure, they alluded also to the money that was necessary to provide the Com pany with locomotive power, which was never included in any Parliamentary estimate. 'Mr. PARSONS—Is the charge for locomotive 'carriages included in the present estimate ? The CHAIRMAN — We hope so. If no other Proprietor has any question to ask, I will put Mr. Goldsmid's motion fur the approbation of the Meeting. Mr. PARSONS wished to know what the average amount of the earth-work was per mile ? Mr. SWANWICK (Sub-Enginer) said that the Parliamen tary estimate amounted to 7,0001., and the revised estimate to 8,0001. per mile. Mr. PARSONS believed that the Parliamentary estimate was 100,0001. Mr. SWANWICK thought the Parliamentary estimate was 70,0001., and that the real estimate was rather more than 80,0001. , The CHAIRMAN then put the motion, that the Report now read be adopted for the approval of the Meeting ; and declared it to be carried unanimously. The SECRETARY said that the next business of the day was to supply the place of those Directors who went out according to the provisions of the Act of Parliament. Mr. HUTTON proposed that the gentlemen going out should be re-elected. Mr. PARSONS having seconded the motion, it was put to the meeting by the Chairman, and declared to be carried unanimously. The following resolution was then moved by Mr. THORN,- TinyArrt, and seconded by Mr. BARNWELL :—" That the thanks of the Meeting be given to the Chairman, Deputy Chairman, and Directors, for their valuable services." The C*AIRMAN returned thanks. In doing so he had a double duty to perform ; first on behalf of his colleagues and himself, for the honour the Proprietors had conferred on them by re-electing them to fill the office of Directors; and, secondly-, on his own behalf, for their approval of his conduct in presiding over the meeting that day. Ho could assure the Proprietors that his colleagues and himself hada moat sincere wish to promote the success of the - preent undertaking, and be felt no doubt that their greatest ex pectations would be fully realized. lie ought to have mentioned , for the satisfaction of Mr. Goldsmid, that although they had .been guilty of exceeding their estimates, on the other hand their traffic had been considerably un derrated, and therefore what they had taken from the pro prietors in consequence of exceeding their estimates, they more than repaid them by underrating the vast traffic which they would have upon their line. The Meeting then separated. THE SLAVE TRADE. LORD BROUGHAM'S SPEECH IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS, UPON THE SLAVE TRADE, MONDAY, JANrARY 29, 1835 ; WITH AN ABSTRACT OF TIII DDiCUSSLOS IA - 'IIICII ENSUED, PRINTED FOR TILE ABOLITION COMMITTEE. TO RICHARD, MARQUIS WELLESLEY, K.G., ETC. ETC. ETC. In compliance with the wishes of the friends of the Alio-. lition, I have revised the report of this Speech, in order that the facts which I yesterday brought before Parliament, and which all admitted to be truly stated, nay to have been rather understated than exaggerated, may be made known through the country. I believe these pages contain, as nearly as it is possible, what I spoke in my place. To your Lordship they are inscribed with peculiar pro priety, because you are one the oldest and most staunch friends of this great question, and because your animated descriptions of the Parliamentary struggles in its behalf, at which you have assisted, and of the eloquence of other times which it called forth, has formed one of the most in teresting of the many,' conversations we have had upon the scenes of your earlier life. My own recollections do not reach so far back ; but I have now been a zealous, though humble labourer in the same cause upwards of six-and thirty years ; and it is truly melancholy to reflect that the Slave Trade still desolates Africa, while it disgraces the civilized world, hzrdly covering with less shame those who suffer than those who perpetrate the enormous crime. May we hope that at length the object of our wishes is about to im attained! This Dedication is offered withoue,your permission having been asked. It gives me an opportunity of faintly expres sing that admiration of your truly statesman-lik e genius which all your countrymen feel who have marked your il lustrious career in Europe as well as Asia ; and that gra titude for your past services, which in the public mind never can exceed the affection of your private friends. But I will confess that another motive contributes to this intrusion upon your retirement. During the years that the controversy has lasted, I have written and pub lished many volumes upon it ; this is the first page to which I have set my name ; and I naturally feel desirous that it should have tte advantage of appearing in com pany with one so incomparably more eminent. BROUGHAM. Jan. 30, 1838. My Lords,—l hold in my hand a petition from a nume rous and most respectable body of your fellow-citizens--- the inhabitants of Leeds. Between 16 and 17,000 of then have signed it ; and on the part of the other inhabi tants of that great and flourishing community, as well as of the county at large in which it is situated, I can affirm with confidence that their statements and their prayer are those of the whole province whose people I am proud to call my friends, as it was once the pride of my life to repre sent them in Parliament. They remind your Lordships that between 18 and 19 millions have been already paid, and the residue of the 20 millions is in a course of pay ment to the holders of slaves, for some loss which it was supposed their property would sustain by the Emancipa tion Act ; whereas instead of a loss they have received a -positive gain ; their yearly revenues are increased, and the value of their estates has risen in the market. Have not these petitioners—have not the people of England a right to state, that but for the firm belief into which a generous Parliament. and a confiding country were drawn, that the Bill of 1833 would occasion a loss to the planter, not one million, or one pound, or one Lenny of this enormous sum would ever hate been granted to the owners of slaves? When it was found that all this money has been paid for nothing, have we not an equal right to require that what ever can be done on the part of the planters to further a measure which has already been so gainful to them, shall be performed without delay? Have we not an undenia ble right to expect, for the sake not more of humanity to wards the negroes than of strict justice to those whose money was so paid for nothing, under a mere error in fact, we, who paid the money, shall obtain some compensation? And as all we ask is not a return of it, not to have the sums paid under mistake refunded, but only the bargain carried into full effect ; whin the Colonial Legisla ores re fuse to perform their part, are we not well entitled to com pel them ? In a word, have not the people of England a right to demand that the slavery which still exists under the name of Indentured Apprenticeship, shall forthwith cease—all pretext for continuing it, from the alleged risk of the sudden change or the Negro's incapacity of voluntary labour, having been triumphantly destroyed by the univer- OA ~ 8 - c.. . . ..., i4;zz o .-I.s lfAa 0 o.m. 50) j.s a 8 C,s OD 0 - 0 C I